This Northern Michigan wedding at The Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor was filled with love and so charming. The bride (GORGEOUS, AMIRIGHT) made all of the flower arrangements (seriously, you have to check them out) and the couple together created so many incredible details by hand to make this wedding come to life. The little touches to this wedding were so beautiful. And to have an intimate wedding by Lake Michigan with stunning northern turquoise water took it to the next level.

The bride also made all of the floral crowns in her wedding and they are STUNNING. You've got to check them out below. I love how simple and classic Amanda made hers. My new goal for the end of summer is to learn how to make floral crowns, I've always been obsessed with them.

If you are dog lover and wondering how to incorporate your fur baby into your wedding, look no further. Major dog love is below and I'm all about it. These dogs were SO well behaved and dapper ;)

The sunset at the end was one of my favorite parts of the day. A little secret I tell all of my couples at the end of their wedding day is to step outside for a few minutes around the sunset to take advantage of golden hour. Beautiful natural light is *everything*. Let your guests refresh their drinks and go take some sunset portraits with your NEW SPOUSE! I promise you'll be happy you did.

It was a dream to photograph this beautiful wedding and I hope you enjoy a little view into this special day!

Love radiated from this family. They were exuberant, happy, and a joy to photograph. From my experience as a mama, babies are usually happiest in the morning (see his ADORABLE smiles below). And this was the case with this awesome family visiting Grand Haven from out of town. I was honored to meet them by Lake Michigan to photograph their beautiful family on vacation. Their sweet babe fell asleep next to Lake Michigan crashing waves (hello perfect nap spot!) and we were able to get some great photos of this precious sleeping baby. If every couple can maintain a tiny amount of the true love that this couple have, they will have it made. Be sure to look below for when the couple gave it their ALL running down the dunes. Movement in photography is one of my favorite things to capture, because it's real. And authenticity is what I'm always looking for, you can just tell when a couple or a family is truly feeling it and completely present in the moment. What a gift to photograph! Thank you for the honor to photograph your family beach side!

Family beach photography // Grand Haven, MI

Floral crowns, I tell you what. They are ALWAYS a good idea. I knew I was in for a treat when Jacqueline reached out to me to have a floral crown made for her darling daughter for their family beach session in Grand Haven, Michigan. She had one made that is so gorgeous, simple and pink and perfect for their sweet girl. We ran up and down the dunes, listened to the waves behind us and had a ball. I honestly love living near a beach town all year, in the summer I get to meet and photograph such great people visiting from all over the country. And in the winter I recharge and watch Lake Michigan start to freeze over. After living away from Michigan from many years, I forgot how much I love the seasons and love photographing in the different seasons. And I swear, whatever season I'm in, that's my current season. Happy summer in Grand Haven, MI friends!

Early morning light and a sweet family loving on each other, that's my dream morning. We played in the Lake Michigan dunes and had an absolute blast. We chased the light, played ring around the rosie and it was carefree and full of laughter, just like it should be. No pressure to smile big at the camera, just be as you are and to me that's always the most beautiful. These days of babies being small go by so fast. I'm always honored to be invited into a family's life for a few hours to photograph their connections and love for each other. Taylor and Nick, you guys have a very special family.

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There are some weddings that just seem to float and this is one of those weddings. It took place on an island off Washington's west coast, San Juan Island. This particular island has great meaning to me as my husband and I spent our summers in college here, falling in love and seeking wild adventures. You know you're in for a treat when you need to catch an early ferry to photograph a wedding. I watched the sun rise over the mountains, I knew this day was going to be epic. Crysta and Sean truly make being in love look easy and their wedding was no exception. This wedding was real and effortlessly beautiful. They had floral crowns, a huge barn reception and a party celebrating their absolute love for each other. You can just feel it. It was an honor to capture this beautiful wedding.

Check out the bridesmaids reaction when the bride had a grand entrance in her wedding dress!

While big elaborate weddings can be breathe taking, there's something to be said about a small intimate wedding that focuses on your love for each other. That's exactly what this wedding was. Emma and Michael said 'I do' in a private ceremony in a Speakeasy with their closest family and friends around. It was intimate and beautiful, just like them, just right.

You know what? Sometimes it rains on your wedding day. It did on mine. And it did for this lovely couple, too. They say rain is good luck and I'm going on 12 years of marriage so I vote that "they" are onto something. This wedding was about as lovely as they get. It was romantic, effortless, and filled with love. When it started down pouring, the couple and I ran into a nearby greenhouse. THIS is why you find a venue with amazing grounds. This venue produces all of their own food for their weddings. Plus green houses are my secrete favorite indoor place to photograph. Because the lighting is AMAZING, I mean you're basically outdoors. The bride wore a dress from Anthropologie's bridal line, gah. If you haven't heard of their line, look at these photos below and then head over to www.bhldn.com to swoon over their dresses. I can't say enough good things about this couple or this wedding. I only wish I could go back to this day and do it all over again. It might rain on your wedding day, but that means you'll be joining an elite group of us that had this lucky occurrence too. You're in good company.

West Michigan is really such a beautiful place and we were lucky with a beautiful evening to celebrate McKenzie turning one! We played in the dunes and the light as McKenzie woke up from her nap. She is the sweetest and happiest little girl. I loved the gigantic pink balloon to celebrate this little one's 1st birthday. We even had a beautiful sunset which we snapped a few photos of her in love parents. I highly recommend making the most of your photo shoot to get a few photos of the two of you. Happy birthday sweet girl!

This wedding is near and dear to me. So much so. My dear brother, Chris, met the love of his life, Janar, while serving in the Peace Corps in Mongolia. They fell in love and began traveling together when Chris finished his service time. Fast forward a few years and a few million adventures later, and they returned to the US. Chris and Janar wanted to be married in an intimate ceremony on a bluff and Woodstock Farm was the perfect venue for these two.
Woodstock Farm is amazing and a serious dream for a photographer. It's tucked away off Chuckanut Drive and sits on a hill overlooking the Bellingham Bay. It's a historic site that has been beautifully preserved. The house feels like you stepped back in time -not to mention many incredible places for stunning photography.

This wedding was such a dream. Not only was my brother home but we were a part of his special day. A few days before the wedding, the weather forecast was looking iffy for this wedding but amazingly, it was one of those rare sunny days sandwiched between days of cold and rain. Lucky! Chris and Janar used Botanical, a fantastic local florist. Her flowers were stunning. Many of the details of the wedding, including the alter adorned with colorful ribbons, were created by my amazingly talented sister.

The couple had an intimate reception down the road off Chuckanut Drive at The Oyster Bar. They sat for their incredible meal as the sun was setting and it was a spectacular sunset. Oysters, wine, palate cleansers, salmon, I could go on and on. My sis, who's also a very skilled baker, made a decadent cheesecake for the couple's wedding cake. Every detail was really perfect. Congratulations and welcome to the family!

This wedding felt like a dream and is about as PNW as it gets. It was intimate and personal and everything a wedding should be. Cindi and Scott gathered a small group of their closest friends and family and got married on a suspension bridge over a gorgeous river. Makes you want to get married all over again, doesn't it??
So many things stood out to me at this wedding but my favorite was the simplicity. With nature as their backdrop, Cindi + Scott let their love speak for itself. What an honor it was to photograph your stunning wedding -I wish you all good things.

Love poured from this charming Snohomish, WA wedding and what a better day to feature it than on Valentine's Day! The bride and groom are some of my favorite people. When I met Stephanie and heard about her and Kyile's love story, I knew this wedding was going to be incredible. While Kyile served in the military, Stephanie and Kyile started sending love letters to each other. This became an important part of their relationship and they knew they wanted to have love letters represented at their wedding. When you walked into the reception, framed love letters the couple had sent to each other over the years covered the walls. Isn't this an awesome idea? Right before the first look, Stephanie gave her groom one last love letter. It gave me goosebumps to see Kyile get emotional reading the letter from his soon-to-be wife. The couple went all out for making this wedding truly them.
There really isn't anything as good as a couple madly in love. It makes my job a synch. Ok and it makes for authentic, beautiful photos which are my favs, always and forever.

Would you have any idea that the wedding was supposed to be at an entirely different venue? A little secret, this bride and groom win the award for staying the most chill ever. Just a few days before the big day, the weather was looking down right bad. And you know for us in the PNW, we don't freak out over a few rain drops. The bride rolled with the changes and made everything come together beautifully. Switched the entire wedding to a different venue and I couldn't have imagined it any better. Seriously, this wedding sang charm and romance.

The lovely details made this wedding stand out. Oh and the charming chandeliers. And the incredible food. I could tell you about the food for hours. Instead let me just tell you it was divine. The bride's mother owns a fabulous catering business, Celebrate Catering, in Snohomish, WA and left no detail untouched. From a caprese bar during the cocktail hour to an ice-cream and s'more station at dusk, the wedding was stunning. Red and gold decor brought the venue to life with beautiful flowers and table decor.

So happy you are finally living your dream of being together as husband and wife, Stephanie + Kyile. xoxo